Archive for April, 2009
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
There's a perfectly good shower in your bathroom--why on earth would you consider building a solar shower?
Well, here are a couple reasons...
Shower showers can save you money in water heating costs (traditional gas water heaters are big energy sucks since they're continually heating and reheating water 24/7).
You can tie a ...
Posted in Alternative Energy, Water Conservation | 5 Comments »
Sunday, April 26th, 2009
If you're looking to scale back on your gasoline reliance (something we may all need to do in the not-so-distant future, if the peak oil folks are right), then you may want to consider replacing your gas-powered lawn mower with a push reel mower. Push meaning this sucker is ...
Posted in Tools | 6 Comments »
Monday, April 20th, 2009
Lots of us are getting into permaculture and growing our own vegetables again, both because the economy is kicking our butts and because we're interested in eating fresh food that we know is genetically modified and hasn't been treated with pesticides or anything else unnatural.
Sometimes, though, in all our enthusiasm ...
Posted in Edible Landscaping | No Comments »
Thursday, April 16th, 2009
If you have any interest in drinking alcoholic beverages, home brewing is something to look into for oh so many reasons....
First off, it's fun and cool and lets you create a lot of tasty concoctions you can't buy in the store. Second, it can actually save you ...
Posted in Home Brewing | 2 Comments »
Sunday, April 12th, 2009
Here in the U.S., there aren't a huge number of recipes that call for pine nuts (though pesto comes to mind), but the small roasted seeds are tasty, and they command a premium price as well. Most of the pine nuts purchased in the U.S. are imported, but that ...
Posted in Foraging | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
If you're a gardener, you're probably already making your own compost. (And if you're not, it's time to get started! Not only is it cheaper--AKA free--to make your own compost instead of buying from the garden store, but it's more eco-friendly as well since no one needs to ...
Posted in Composting | 1 Comment »
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009
There are all sorts of fun garden tools out there to help the kids get interested in your backyard vegetable garden, but this is the first kid-friendly composter I've seen. And to be quite honest, I'd love to have one too. It's shaped like a pig--what's not to ...
Posted in Composting | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
Herbs are a great addition to the urban or suburban garden. They don't take a lot of space, many varieties are easy to grow in pots, and some of them can even be beneficial for your vegetable garden (by keeping pest insects away--not everything likes the smell of mint as ...
Posted in Vegetable Gardening | 2 Comments »